Incentive package for the recruitment and retention of compensation advisors

Date: August 29, 2017

To: Heads of Human Resources, Directors/Chiefs of Labour Relations and Compensation, Public Service Pay Centre, Miramichi

The purpose of this Information Bulletin is to inform you that we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on August 25, 2017 with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) to provide temporary incentives to compensation advisors in the core public administration.

A message to that effect from the Chief Human Resources Officer and the Associate Deputy Minister, Public Services and Procurement Canada to Deputy Heads is attached.

The incentive package will apply to compensation advisors working at the Public Service Pay Centre (including satellite offices) and within departments and agencies of the core public administration. It will be offered to employees at the AS-01, AS-02 and AS-03 group and levels currently eligible for the $2,500 Compensation Advisor Retention Allowance within the Program and Administrative Services collective agreement.

The incentives are the following:

• 1. A one-time payment of $4,000 payable once during the employee’s entire period of employment in the federal public service:
  • Current employees will receive the award in two (2) $2000 payments, one payable effective on date of signing of the MOU and one payable July 1, 2018;
  • New recruits hired after the signing of this MOU and prior to June 1, 2018 will receive the payment after completing a one-year period of continuous employment;
  • Retirees who come back to work as compensation advisors after the signing of the MOU and prior to June 1, 2018, will earn the incentive payment through pro-rated payments over a six (6) month contiguous or non-contiguous period of employment, starting upon commencement of employment. The full amount of the incentive payment will be pro-rated to the period worked up to a maximum period of six months, and paid in increments on a bi-weekly basis;
  • Part-time employees will receive the payment on a pro-rated basis based on the actual hours worked during the relevant qualifying period as per the above, as a percentage of full-time hours.
  • The one-time payment is in addition to the annual $2,500 Compensation Advisor Retention Allowance that is part of the current Program and Administrative Services collective agreement.
• 2. Increased overtime rate:
  • All overtime hours shall be compensated at double (2) time during the period between August 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018.
• 3. (a) Carry-Over and/or liquidation of vacation leave:
  • Unused vacation leave credits earned during the 2017-2018 vacation year on March 31, 2018 shall be carried-over into the following vacation year;
  • If on March 31, 2019, an employee has more than two hundred and sixty-two decimal five (262.5) hours of unused vacation leave credits, a minimum of seventy-five (75) hours per year of the excess balance shall be granted or paid in cash, in accordance with the employee’s choice, by March 31 of each year commencing March 31 2019, until all vacation leave credits in excess of two hundred and sixty-two decimal five (262.5) hours have been liquidated.
• 3. (b) Compensation in cash or leave with pay:
  • All compensatory leave earned in the fiscal year 2016-2017 and outstanding on September 30, 2017, shall not be paid out, in whole or in part, other than at the request of the employee and with the approval of the Employer.

In addition to the above-measures, commencing October 2nd, 2017, the PSAC and the Employer will undertake an independent job content and classification process for all PSPC Compensation Advisors at the AS-01, AS-02 and AS-03 group and levels. The parties agreed that this process shall be completed within a period of 15 months, which may be extended by mutual agreement.

All questions should be directed to your Departmental Corporate Labour Relations or Corporate Compensation Official who, if required will direct their questions to the Compensation and Labour Relations group at the following email address: Interpretations@tbs-sct.gc.ca.

Original signed by
Zia Proulx
Senior Director
Core Public Administration
Compensation Management
Compensation and Labour Relations
Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer